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Melinda Maria knows how to make stars shine.
The jewelry designer’s namesake brand is loved by the likes of Rihanna, Kendall Jenner and Selena Gomez — but you won’t need to be an A-lister to score the same sparkle, with many pieces ringing in at under $100.
“I think the idea that it has to be expensive to be cool and [for you to] feel good in it is totally passé,” Maria, who recently launched the Galentine’s Day-ready Melinda x Allison collection, tells Page Six Style of her celeb-approved designs.
“We have stylists always say, ‘Oh my god, I love putting it on my client because it looks so expensive and they look amazing in it … but I don’t have to worry about if they lose it or not.”
Even so, the brand’s pieces are indispensable to its famous fans; while Elizabeth Banks was the first to pair couture with Melinda Maria pieces for the 2013 “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” premiere, the odds have since remained ever in the brand’s favor when it comes to scoring star shoppers.
Taylor Swift is frequently “Bejeweled” in Melinda Maria, recently sporting the Gabriella Spiked Hoop Earrings ($78) for her “All Too Well: The Short Film” premiere in 2021.
Gabriella Spiked Hoop Earrings ($78)
“Her stylist, Joseph Cassell, has been such a huge supporter of Melinda Maria … and has put stuff on Taylor for so many years,” Maria says, adding that the Swift-loved spike earrings have been “in the line for so long, and they’re always [in] the top five best sellers.”
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And don’t be fooled by the rocks “hoop queen” Jennifer Lopez has got; she’s worn Melinda Maria hoops “left and right,” says the designer, including the Rihanna Hoops she wore on her honeymoon and the 4-Inch Big Ass Hoops ($88) — the latter of which Kris Jenner also owns in the 3-inch version ($78).
Meanwhile, Hailey Bieber — who Maria calls “the ultimate cool girl” — has opted for ear bling on the more subtle side, like the Grace Huggie Earring ($58).
Grace Huggie Earring ($58)
Also among the label’s longtime fans? Julia Roberts, who declared Melinda Maria her “favorite” jewelry brand ahead of a farewell episode of the “Oprah Winfrey Show” — prompting a race to get 800 bangles ready for the show’s studio audience in a matter of two and a half weeks.
“They were like, ‘Can you do this?’ And I’m like, ‘Yes. I don’t care if I have to fly to my manufacturers and hand-set everything myself,” Maria recalls.
If you’re rushing to get your own Valentine’s gifts in order — whether gearing up for Galentine’s Day or giving loved ones a special surprise à la Oprah — Maria’s most recent offerings include a Valentine’s Day Mystery Box ($89 for $250 worth of jewelry) in addition to her recent collaboration with pal Allison Statter, who happens to be one of Kim Kardashian’s childhood BFFs.
The collab prompted supportive Instagram Stories from stars like Jessica Alba, Behati Prinsloo and (of course) Kardashian — and if history is any indication, it’s only a matter of time before the pieces make their way into red carpet outfits and A-lister selfies alike.
“I think that [stars] choose it, really, because of the design. And then when they pick it up, they realize the quality is so amazing,” Maria says of her success with celebs, adding that it’s “the ultimate compliment when somebody that can clearly afford super-fancy, high-end jewelry” dons her designs.